MINEOLA, N.Y. –Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced today that a Huntington woman has been sentenced for using her position as a bookkeeper to steal more than $866,000 over a six-year period from a Nassau County architectural firm.
Lori Maceluch, 48, pleaded guilty in January 2014 to one count of Grand Larceny in the 2nd Degree (a C felony) and two counts of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the 2nd Degree (a D felony). Maceluch was sentenced today by Nassau County Court Judge Alan Honorof to 3 to 9 years in prison on the top charge and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $866,114.18. She was also sentenced to 2 to 6 years for each count on the Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument charge, which will be served concurrently to the top charge.
“By committing these crimes, Ms. Maceluch brazenly abused her employer’s trust while treating herself to vacations, clothes, and meals – all on the company’s dime,” DA Rice said. “Today’s sentence is a reminder that those who deceive and steal money from their employer will face consequences for their actions.”
DA Rice said that between May 2005 and September 2011, Maceluch used her position as bookkeeper for a Nassau County-based architectural firm to steal $866,114.18 by forging a firm partner’s signature on 568 checks she wrote to herself. As bookkeeper for the firm for approximately 15 years, Maceluch had access to the firm’s operating account.
Maceluch disguised the theft by fraudulently enhancing legitimate expenses in the company’s financial records. She used the stolen cash to fund a lifestyle that included dining at restaurants and taking vacations to the Berkshires, Nantucket Island, Fire Island, Florida, and the Dominican Republic. Maceluch spent tens of thousands of dollars on credit card payments and at various retail stores including Lord & Taylor and Bon Bon’s Chocolatier.
The theft was discovered in late 2011 when an internal audit of the company uncovered discrepancies in the accounts payable and accounts receivable records that could not be explained. Maceluch was terminated shortly thereafter and the case was subsequently referred to the DA’s Office.
Assistant District Attorney William Jorgenson of DA Rice’s Government & Consumer Frauds Bureau is prosecuting the case. Maceluch is represented by Michael Alber, Esq.
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